William wilson



W. WILSON. PLESH BRUSH.

(No Model.)

No. 456,230. Patented July 21, 1891.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICEa VILLIAM VILSON, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALE TO JAMES C. ERNST, OF SAME PLACE.

FLEsH-BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No-456,230, dated July 21, 1891.

Serial No. 350,648. (No model.)

which it appertains to make and use theA same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters-of reference marked thereon, which form a part. of this specification.

My invention relates ,to flesh-brushes, andA has for its object to form a brush with a sponge face whose back or base is made of some suitable material, preferably a flexible material, as a textile fabric, and provided, preferably, with a strap handle.

The invention will be hereinafter particularly described and afterward claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of the brush; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section through the same, showing the preferred manner of laying on the sponge in lapping flakes. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view showing the sponge surface.

In the drawings, the letterA designates the base or back, which is formed of any suitable material, but preferably of cloth or other textile or flexible material. This is provided with sponge B, of any desired depth or thickness, but preferably comparatively thin in vertical section. This sponge may be formed of sections, preferably composed of flakes or small pieces, as sponge too small for general use and heretofore discarded as waste can be utilized with most satisfactory and beneficial results. lVhen made otherwise than from a single piece of sponge, the small pieces are preferably laid on the surface, asillustrated in Fig. 2, so that the pieces will overlap one upon the other. When laid in that manner, the whole surface of .the base will be completely covered,'leaving no exposed portions and forming a surface equal to if not superior to one made of a single piece.

Before applying the pieces of sponge it is preferred to compress them into comparatively thin iiakes, and while in that condition stitch them to the backing or base. A stronger and closer surface is thus obtained. The sponge -is secured to the base in any suitable way or by any suitable means-for instance, by cement or mechanical fastenings, but preferably by lines of stitching, as illustrated, and applied by hand or machinery. When secured by stitches, the sponge will, when swelled by water, expand, except where held by the stitching, and will' thus form a series of puffs, rendering the surface firm, but at the same time yielding or elastic, and causing the surface, by reason of such puffs or separate protuberances, to be more elfective in cleansing the body than would be the case if the surface were one unbroken surface.

In the drawings the stitching (indicated by the letter C) is represented as having been applied by a sewing-machine andin the manner of quilting.

To protect the edges of the brush and pre- Yvent fraying of the backing or of the sponge along the edges, I provide a suitable binding D-say of tape or bgaid-and' cause the same to lap onto the back and face of the brush, as well as cover the edge thereof, the same being stitched through the sponge and flexible backing. This binding not only protects the edges of the brush, but also strengthens the same without detracting from the flexibility of the brush. This binding also imparts a fullness or roundness to the edges when the sponge is distended or swelled by the water it has absorbed and prevents slinging or splashing of the water, as in the use of an ordinary wash-rag or sponge.

For the convenient handling of the brush it is provided with a handle E, which is preferably of the strap forrn and made of cloth 0r other suitable material, having its edges bound with tape or braid F.

A flesh-brush constructed as hereinbefore described possesses the following among other advantages: It gives greater surface to the weight than a sponge of the ordinary shape and size, and consequently is capable of more efcient service. Being quilted vto the cloth backing, it becomes as strong and durable as the cloth itself and will not tear into pieces, as a sponge without such a 1re-enforcing backw ing. Being comparatively thin in Vertical section, it is more thoroughly cleansed and quickly dried, thus avoiding seurness, molding, and rotting so common in sponges as ordinarily found, and will also permit of the application of more friction to the iiesh than a. sponge of the ordinary thickness will admit of, thus cleansing the skin in less time and more thoroughly than otherwise. On aecount of the small particles of sponge that can be used in its manufacture, a much finer and softer sponge flesh-brush can be offered to the public at a much smaller cost than heretofore, because the small particles of sponge heretofore having but little if any commercial value on account of their size are utilized in this invention and made up into a luxurious article of necessity.

'3y making the backingor base of the brush ot' ilexible material such as specified it can be easily bent into any shape or curvature desired and made to conform in shape to the many undulations ot' which the hand is capa ble, and thus it conforms more to the 'func tion of a bath-rag than if the backing were thick and, comparatively speaking, unyielding. It will also be apparent that a larger surface can be covered at one time than if the backing were stiff.

I have described in detail what I consider to be the best method of applying my invention, but do not confine myself to the details described7 because, as indicated, modi ieations maybe iliade therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what l claim l.. A ileshbrush composed of a `flexible backingor base and sponge quilted thereto, whereby the sponge surface will form a series of puffs when swelled by Water, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A [lesh-brush composed of a base and a series ot' pieces of sponge lapped upon one another and secured to said base, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signatur-ein presence of two witnesses. 

